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Broom-Stick Bunny
Broom-Stick Bunny is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes short released in 1956 and directed by Chuck Jones. Plot It is Halloween, and Witch Hazel is busy brewing a magic potion. As she goes about her business, she pauses at her magic mirror and asks of it who is the ugliest of all. The genie in the mirror replies that she, Witch Hazel, is the ugliest ("By my troth, I will avow: there's none that's uglier than thou"). As an aside to the audience, Witch Hazel says that she is "deathly afraid of getting pretty as I grow older" (a fear which will be fully justified at the end of the short). Meanwhile, Bugs Bunny is out trick-or-treating dressed as a witch, his face hidden by an ugly green mask. He calls on Witch Hazel who, seeing his disguise, mistakes him for a real witch ("I don't remember seeing her at any of the union meetings"). She dashes to her magic mirror and asks it again who is the ugliest, to which the mirror-genie replies he finds Bugs far uglier ("Thou ''wert the ugliest one, 'tis true, but that creep is uglier far than you"). The jealous Witch Hazel hatches a plot. She invites the disguised Bugs in for tea, and prepares a brew containing various beauty ointments and treatments. Bugs is about to drink the tea when he remembers he is still wearing the mask, and removes it. Seeing her "rival" is in fact a rabbit, Witch Hazel dashes off to consult her potion book. Sure enough, the last ingredient for the potion she was brewing earlier is a rabbit's clavicle (a bone in the shoulder). While she is gone, Bugs begins to suspect trouble is afoot and makes to leave ("You know, my delicate inner sense of danger warns me that there's something faintly unhealthy in the atmosphere of this cottage."), but he is stopped at the door by Witch Hazel brandishing a meat cleaver. Bugs flees, stating "Uh, pardon me, auntie, but uh, I've got a lot of trick-or-treatin' to catch up on so I'll bid you a civil adue!", with the cackling witch chasing him through the house. She dashes into her magic broom closet to get her flying broomstick in order to try and keep up with Bugs, but she comes out astride the wrong one which starts sweeping with her on it before she lets go: "Crazy me. That was my ''sweeping broom!" she says to the audience. As Bugs hides (knowing that "that old bag means to do me serious hurt!"), Witch Hazel finally traps Bugs using a carrot on a fishing line. Back at her cauldron, Witch Hazel prepares to kill Bugs and use him in her potion. She is about to bring her cleaver down on the trussed-up rabbit, but Bugs tries to play to her sympathies, gazing back at her with tear-filled doe eyes [as Charlie Dog noted in Jones' Often An Orphan (1948), "'Big soulful eyes' routine. Gets 'em every time"]. Witch Hazel bursts into tears, claiming Bugs' innocent face reminds her of Paul, her dear departed pet tarantula (It's unknown if Paul died naturally, or was used as an ingredient in an earlier potion). Bugs tries to comfort her by bringing her the cup of beauty potion/tea, which she unknowingly drinks. She instantly changes into a young and shapely woman (naturally, Milt Franklyn strikes up Oh, You Beautiful Doll), which of course horrifies her (it's not known if Bugs did this strategically or not). She dashes to the magic mirror once again to ask who is the ugliest one of all (her voice is also softer and sexier now). The genie in the mirror, seeing her sexy new appearance, gives a Bob Hope-like "ROWR, ROWR" and lunges to grab her. Witch Hazel flees on her flying broomstick, with the genie chasing her on a magic carpet, slowly gaining on her. Bugs is left at the house, and promptly telephones the local air raid headquarters to report "a genie with light brown hair chasing a flying sorceress"! Witch Hazel This is the first Warner Bros. short for which June Foray provides the voice of Witch Hazel. Jones had wanted Foray to replicate the voice she had provided for a different Witch Hazel in Disney films when he directed the earlier Bewitched Bunny. However, Foray initially refused, fearing that it would bother Disney producers and put her in danger of losing future jobs. Jones was forced to substitute Bea Benaderet. Similarly, when Hazel becomes beautiful near the end, she is a caricature of June Foray herself. This idea was carried over to an episode of Duck Dodgers. Category:Animated short films Category:Short films Category:Films directed by Chuck Jones Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons